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Pros:
- Good sound quality
- Easy to use
- Gives opportunity to experiment
- Offers warm tones that have tube character
Cons:
- Better for practice than live performances
- Does not have an effects loop
When you see the name Marshall, you already know what level of product you are receiving. Their amplifiers in particular have been a staple in music for many years, taking a permanent place in the setup of guitar legends. MG30CFX is definitely one of those devices. And I am not saying this based on the reputation of the brand. I will dive into the features, controls and sound – the parameters that make up a good amp – and you will see yourself, what I was talking about above. Just keep on reading and let me guide you through this legendary quest of perfect gear!
Features
MG30CFX is a solid-state amp with 30 watts of power and a single 10” speaker. It is packed with features and offers a wide range of versatility. This bad boy has four channels: Clean, Crunch, OD1, and OD2. This allows you to split your signal and receive the most elaborate tone. MG30CFX is compatible with foot controller, which makes its utilization even more convenient. It has an instrument input, a 3.5 mm socket for CDs and MP3 players, as well as a 3.5 mm headphone output for silent practicing.
This amp offers two different types of Reverb phaser, chorus, delay (with tap tempo functionality), flanger, and octave. Reverb can be employed simultaneously with any of these five effects. It operates in two modes: Preset and Manual. The former transforms the channels into presets and allows you to store your performance, while the latter activates the “normal” nature of the device (you can simply tweak the knobs). All in all, it is obvious that MG30CFX is quite versatile in terms of features and offers a wide range of sonic options.
Controls
You know how Marshall designs are – everything is sleek and fancy, with just the right amount of knobs and switches. Well, MG30CFX is the fella of the same ilk. It is not over-complicated with controls and everything is easy to understand. I will discuss all the details below so that you have a general idea of what is what.
I will start with channels. At the top part of the panel you will see two small buttons, Clean/Crunch and OD1/OD2. As you have probably guessed, they allow you to quickly switch between these channels. Below them there is a Gain knob, which adds power and definition to your signal (and intensifies the distortion, of course). Then we have a three-band EQ with Bass, Middle and Treble knobs: each of them alters the specific range of frequencies and shapes your tone to perfection.
Then comes the dedicated knob for Reverb that offers two different types of the said effect: Spring and Studio (a.k.a. plate). Further on, we have Volume, which sets the level of the selected channel, FX, which allows you to choose between the above-mentioned effects (turning this knob clockwise will also intensify the chosen effect), and Master which sets the volume of the amp. Finally, there are two small buttons: Tap sets the rhythm of the delay and activates the preset mode (if pressed for 2 seconds), while Store triggers the manual mode. It might seem a bit overwhelming, but once you get to tweaking, you will see that tweaking this bad boy is a piece of cake.
Marshall MG30CFX Sound
Are you impressed so far? If so, I have good news: your mind is about to blow up with excitement because the sound is even better than everything else. MG30CFX has a lot to offer in terms of tones, so I will cut to the chase and start discussing each option you have. Let’s begin with channels: Clean delivers the most pristine sound that is steeped with definition; Crunch has just a tiny bit of distortion that adds character to your performance; OD1 is an overdriven channel with that soft and mild distortion, while OD2 is a straight-up crazy distortion that can be intensified for metal sounds.
When it comes to effects, each of them sounds just as good as individual pedals. They have dimension, texture, and a lot of definition, which eliminates the need to invest in other devices. The ability to combine them with reverb gives you a lot to experiment with and allows you to get some ethereal results.
Conclusion
This concludes the review of MG30CFX. Hopefully, this article was thorough enough to give you an idea of what this unit does and how it does that. All you have to do is tweak it, and spend some time with it and I am sure, you will be as impressed as I am. This amp can be utilized for practice or studio purposes. Either way it will deliver the tones you were hoping for and crank your performance up a notch. Highly recommended!
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